Police: Two men hospitalized after shooting each other

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) — Two men were taken to the hospital after they apparently shot each other yesterday in Elizabethtown.

Elizabethtown Police says around 4:45 p.m. officers responded to shots fired near 418 Martin Luther King Dr. While officers were responding, dispatchers told them that someone had arrived at Bladen County Hospital with a gunshot wound.

Officers went to the hospital and met with Taquay Montez Newkirk, 22, of Whiteville, who had a gunshot wound to his head. While they were there, a second man, Gerald Bennett Thomas, 56, of Elizabethtown arrived with a gunshot to his left leg.

Officers learned that the men got into some sort of argument and began shooting at each other. Both men were transferred to New Hanover Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening wounds.

Officers say the men gave them conflicting stories. The investigation continues, and charges are still possible.